We’re all going on a road trip.

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.

You’re going on a road trip: where are you headed? With who? What are your snacks? Music? Plans?

A road trip. Now there’s something that hasn’t been a part of my life for a while. I can remember them, from the good-old-days, before 2020 happened. Before I tell you where I’m headed, just as soon as I can, I thought it might be nice to look back.

Road trips of the past fell into distinct categories, depending on the time in my life.

When I was a teenager, at college, road trips meant a car full of people, taking it in turns to be the driver. A few beers were essential, who knew where we would end up. Or when we would come home. Music was whatever was in the machine, a beaten-up cassette or just the radio. Once I passed my driving test, I became one of the drivers. It seemed like that time would go on forever.

When I was a little older and working at sea, peoples thoughts were always what they would do when they got home. When I was on leave, it meant journeys to all parts, to see old shipmates. These road trips were fuelled with the anticipation of great stories and passed with the windows open and heavy rock blasting.

Later still, day trips with my wife, then my wife and kids, to do whatever. We would visit the beach, see friends, have a holiday. The music turned into cries of “are we there yet?” or “mum, she’s HURTING me.”

Now, my kids can experience all that with their own families. Meanwhile, Yvonne and I head off for the day as much as we can, at least we used to. We might drive across Devon or Cornwall, go for a stroll around a local market town or visit someplace that we used to go to years ago. Or try somewhere completely different.

There, that we can enjoy a bit of the beautiful local area, remind each other of the past, complain about how it’s all changed. Music is anything from the last 50 years, shuffle all tracks is a wonderful invention. It can make your brain hurt with all the emotions and memories that an hours trip brings up.

Our favourite trip, the thing we enjoy the most, is packing our lunch and heading off into the wilds of Dartmoor. On the way to wherever, we usually stop for a coffee or visit a shop selling local produce. We will resist buying a treat, for a second at least. Then we will park up in the middle of nowhere, take a walk and have our picnic. If the weather isn’t brilliant (and it does rain a lot in Devon), we will eat in the car, our music the rain rattling on the roof.

A place like this is where we’ll be headed, once all this madness retreats and the new normal settles down.

Let me know what you think about this week’s subject.

I’d love to get your comments, please leave them below. While you’re here, why not take a look around? There are some freebies and lots more content, about me, my writing and everything else that I do. You can join my newsletter for a free novella and more news by clicking this link.

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I’d love to get your comments, please leave them below. While you’re here, why not take a look around? There are some freebies and lots more content, about me, my writing and everything else that I do. You can join my newsletter for a free novella and more news by clicking this link.